Internal combustion engine



Feb. 12, 1935. y WERDER INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Jcmll'm 1F Warden" ATTORNEYS Feb. 12, 1935. 'J. F. WERDER 1,990,808

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 6, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 2O 1% O WAC .35 54 Illlll IIHIII INVENTOR.

' ATTORNEYS,

Patented F eb. 12, 1935 UNlTED STATES 7 1,990,808 I INTERNAL ooMnesrIoN ENGINE John F. Werder, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor of onehalf to Edmund Rogers, Scuth Euclid, Ohio Application June 6, 1931, Serial No. 542,667

3 Claims.

11) With thepresent-day type of internal combustion engine, all of'the cylinders are active dur-' ing all stages of operationof the engine with the consequent consumption of fuel in corresponding degree. Also, the engine is subjected to a more or less excessive degree of heat developed by the constant explosions within the cylinders and there is also detracted from the power of the engine a certain degree of driving force which is required for operation of the conventional fan;

For some years past, there have been numerous attempts to improve the efficiency of the internal combustion engine by varying the number of cylinders, each engine of a given number of cylinders possessing certain advantages for certain purposes and under certain conditions. However, any engine of a given number of cylinders lacks efficiency when operated under certain other conditions and for certain other purposes. 30 That is, the present type of internal combustion engine of a given fixed number of cylinders does not possess flexibility which adapts it for operation under various conditions with maximum efiiciency. -'Ihe tendency has been to increase the number of cylinders in all internal combustion engines.

Also, it is well known that'any given engine possesses a certain definite point of speed at which it operates with the greatest possible de 40 gree of efficiency. Such point corresponds to a comparatively high number of revolutions per minute, with open throttle, which means comparatively high compression of the gas within the cylinders. Such compression, as above explained, means comparatively high consumption of fuel in all of the cylinders and at a correspondingly high cost of operation.

With the above conditions Well known to those who are familiar with the art to which'the present invention relates, various attempts have been made to attain a higher degree of efiiciency and economy in the operation of automobile engines, as well as other engines, through all stages of operation, including the initial starting period under inertiaand the period of building up comparative speed and the later period of maintaining such speed withthe .consequent advantage of momentum. One such attempt at the conservation of power in the operation of an engine is recognized in the Well known gas-electric combination in which the gas engine is operated at a constant rate of speed for generation of electric current which is stored in a battery or batteries fromwhich it may be drawn according to demands of the various stages of operation of the 10 machine to which the engine is applied. In this way, the excess generated power is stored until required for. use.

Another such attempt has been made, in the art of steam engines in which there has been provided an auxiliary booster which is employed only temporarily during the stages of initial starting.

Free wheeling is another attempt to conserve energy which might otherwise be vwasted'in the operation of an automobile engine. By means of free wheeling, advantage. is taken of the momentum of the automobile with the result that less poweris required to be developed and delivered by the engine during such continued operation. Free wheeling has, however, been considered quite unsafe because of the comparative lack of control of the operator at all times. Also, free wheeling involves special manipulation for the diiierent gearratios, and involves a disconnection of the driving force of the .engine from the propeller shaft, that'is, in onedirection.

Therefore, the general object of the present invention is to devise an internal combustion .engine which in itself possesses a flexibility which adapts it for operation undervarious conditions and with corresponding efficiency which has heretofore been possible with onlya pluralityvof separate engines of different types.

More specifically, the object is to devise an internal combustion enginehaving a plurality of cylinders, the number of which may be varied from time to time as to their active or inactive condition. That is, with the present invention, a part of the cylinders may be renderedjinactive after the engine has attained proper'speed and the engine then continued in its operation with only a part ofthe entire number of cylinders active. Thus, the same engine of a given number of cylinders can be temporarily converted into an engine of a less number of active cylinders, with all the consequent advantages in efiiciency and economy.

A further object consists in devising such an 'gine in which a co-or-dination between the variation in the number of active cylinders and the variation in the fuel supply thereto is effected in a comparatively simple 'andyet eflicient and dependable manner by means of a mechanism which may be manipulated by the operator during operation of the engine as well as at other times. Other objects will appear from the following description and claims when considered together with the accompanying drawings;- V V Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the manifold which is adapted to be connected to the standard form of automobile engine, this manifold embodying my present invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the manifold and carburetor with the control connectionstherebetweenj" Fig. 3 is an elevation of the same as viewed from'thefront of the engine; Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the same; Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the type of carburetorwhich has been modified in the manner indicated in the other figures of the drawings. v

It is to be understood that the present disclosure is merely for purposes of illustration and that other modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as herein described and claimed."v r 1 In the present illustratiomrthe carburetor is indicated in a general way by reference numeral 1 while the manifold is indicated by reference numeral 2 and the intermediate connecting tubular member by reference numeral 3. It is to be understoodthat this. invention may be applied to any size of engine embodying any number of cylinders, as for instance, two, four, six, eight, or any other number. The manifold 2 has its arms 2 and 2 connected to the engine block, each of these arms supplying fuel to one-half of the total number of cylinders. The present illustration is a six-cylinder engine.

According to the present invention, at a point 7 corresponding with the junction between the main part of the manifold 2 and the arm 2 there is provided a three-way, valve indicated by reference numeral 4. This valve is adapted to permit the passage of fuel from the manifold 2 through the arm 2 and into the cylinders in the usual and well known manner. Such position of the valve 4 is indicated in Fig. 1. This same valve 4 may upon" rotary adjustment through ninety. degrees, be caused to assume position to prevent passage of fuel through the arm 2 'of the manifold and to permit in lieu thereof the entrance of air through the open end of the branch arm 2 of the'manifold. Such opening driver- Thus, according to the desire of the driver; the valve 4 may be manipulated so as to render all or only half of the cylinders active at any time desired. While the cylinders which remain active are supplied with fuel, those cylinders which are rendered inactive are open to the entrance of atmospheric air through the opening-2. :1

The arm 5 is provided with the extension 5 pivotally connected at the point '7 with the lever arm 8 which has its other end pivotally connected at the point 9 with the one arm of the bell crank lever 10 mounted at the point 11 upon the side of the manifold. The other arm of the bell crank lever 10 is pivotally connected at the point 12 with the one part 13 of an extensible connection of which the other part is indicated by reference numeral 14, the extensible connection between these two parts being indicateclby reference numeral 15. The other end of the connecting member 14 has operative connection at the point 16 with the upper end of the valve rod 17 which is provided upon its lower end with the conical shaped valve 18 adapted to seat within the cylindrical chamber 19 for a purpose to be described. The chamber 19 is mounted upon the side wall of the gasoline chamber 20 which forms part of the carburetor and through the port 21 and engages the abutment 23'on the valve stem 1'7 while at its other end it engages the screw plug 24 in the upper end of the cylindrical chamber 19.

The passage 25 which is controlled by the valve 18 is divided into two parts, one of which'extends from the bottom extensions 19 of the-cylindrical chamber 19 and has communication through the tube 26 with the bottom of'the main part ofthe carburetor 1, as indicated at the point 2'7. The passage through the extension 19? is controlled by the valve 28. The other outlet from the bottom of the cylindrical chamber 19 has communication through the tube 29 with the cylindrical chamber 30. The chamber 30is attached to the side of the regular cylindrical chamber 31 and has communication with the main part of the carburetor through the tube 32. The chamber- 31 is attached to the side of the chamber-.20 and has communication with the interior thereof by .35 as well as the chamber 31 and its control means and passage 33 areto be recognized as parts of the standard form of carburetor which is already well knownand, to. which the chambers 19 and 30 have been added for a purpose to be now explained. V r

. In this carburetor there can also be recognized the choke. valve control A, the gasoline inlet'B,

the float C, the air valve D, andthe adjusting means E therefor.

As in the familiar type of carburetor just now referred to, including the cylindrical chamber 31, the throttle control 36 has suitable lever connection with the valve 37 which is adapted for adjustment within the chamber 31 for varying the quantity of fuel to be supplied to the carburetor. This control connection between the throttle and the valve 3'7 is indicated by reference numeral 38. v

The auxiliary cylindrical chamber 30, which has been provided as part of the present improved construction, is provided also with a valvex39 which is adapted to control the flow of fuel through the chamber and which is connected at its upper end by means of the lever arm to the lever arm 38 which is manipulated in conjunction with the throttle control. The throttle control 36 may be manipulated as usual by means of the lever connection from the dash-board or from the floor board of the automobile through operative connections therewith at the point 41.

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided a divided means of controlling the supply of gasoline to the carburetor and that upon manipulation of the lever 6 so as to reduce the number of active cylinders, there will simultaneously be effected an elimination of one of the chambers through which the gasoline is supplied to the carburetor. That is to say, upon such manipulation of the lever 6 and the consequent exclusion of the gas from the auxiliary arm 2* of the manifold, the lever arm 13 will be lowered so as to release the rod 14 and thereby permit the valve 18 to be closed by the spring 22 so as to prevent any further passage of the gasoline through the chamber 19. As a result, the chamber 30 becomes idle since no gasoline is permitted to pass therethrough and likewise gasoline will no longer be supplied through the tubular connection .32. The supply of fuel is thereby reduced to approximately one-half of the quantity ordinarily supplied to the total number of cylinders so that the quantity of fuel now corresponds to that required for. the reduced number. of active cylinders. This reduced quantity of fuel is then supplied only through the tube 34 and directly from the chamber 20 into the chamber 31 and through the passage 33. However, upon reverse manipulation of the lever 6, the cylinders which were rendered inactive, may be caused to resume active condition and fuel supplied thereto. It is to be understood that the tubular connections for the fuel supply are of comparatively reduced size and will be of proper dimensions for supply of gasoline therethrough in the manner and proportions herein explained. If so desired, there may be employed separate carburetors of proper individual capacity for the different combinations of cylinders instead of a single carburetor.

It will be seen that the lever 6 may be manipulated at any time, including periods of operation of the automobile engine. In actual practice, the engine will preferably be started with all of the cylinders active so as to facilitate starting of the car during the initial period when it is necessary to overcome its inertia. During such operation with all of the cylinders active, the valve l will occupy the position indicated in Fig. 1 and fuel will be supplied through all of the several connections from the chamber 20 to the carburetor 1. Then when sufficient speed has been attained in order to derive advantage of the momentum of the automobile, the valve 4 may be adjusted so as to exclude the gas from the arm 2 of the manifold and thereby reduce the number of active cylinders while at the same time the quantity of gasoline supplied to the carburetor will be reduced in corresponding degree. The throttle 36 may of course be adjusted at will in the usual manner for regulating the flow of gas to the manifold.

Actual experience has shown that when a cer tain rate of speed has been attained in the operation of an automobile, the full power of all of the cylinders is not necessary in order for the automobile to continue to proceed at substantially the same rate of speed under favorable 'trol of the automobile at any time.

conditions of travel. This'is-due to the factor of momentum of which the present invention is designed to take advantage, at the same time introducing other advantageous features and without the introduction of any objectionable characteristics, such for instance as loss of con- According to the. present invention, the engine is always in gear and is therefore under complete control of the operator at all times.

With this device, there is realized the further advantage of being able to shift from one number to another number of active cylinders, which may be considered as the practical equivalent of Shiring from one gear ratio to another in the present 7 standard form of automobile. This new manner of operation may be termed cylinder shift. The practical significance of this comparison is appreiated when full consideration is given to the manner of operating the present device, first, with all of the cylinders active during the initial period of starting, and then with only a reduced number of cylinders remaining active during the continued period of operation and so forth, as before eX- plained. I thereby obtain practically the same result as in the familiar shifting of gears. Any desired degree of compression of the gas may be obtained at any time in the active cylinders by adjustment of the throttle.

Although the present disclosure contemplates cutting out half of the total number of cylinders, yet any number of cylinders can be rendered inactive, so long as there is always maintained proper co-ordination between the crank shaft and the order of firing so as to maintain smooth operation of the crank shaft.

The admission ofoutside air into the idle cylinders will absorb and carry off sufficient heat of the engine to maintain the same at an efficient operating temperature. The benefit of such dissi pation of excess heatis transmitted throughthe entire engine block by means of the water jacket which surrounds all of the cylinders. Since the outside air is drawn into the idle cylinders through a separate channel, the idle cylinders are always filled completely with air and there is no back pressure upon the intake stroke of the pistons.

The mixture of air with the exhaust is also calculated to relieve the deadly effect of the carbon monoxide gas which will not only be diluted but converted into harmless carbon dioxide.

Also, the air from the idle cylinders will reduce the temperature of the exhaust, the volume of which is thereby maintained at the proper point for free discharge through the muflier of the exhaust.

The advantages of this invention may be enjoyed with the benefit of momentum and yet without the dangerous condition of coasting; and the present invention is also free of troublesome gears in the cylinder shift from one operating condition to another.

With this invention, there is realized a Very marked saving in the fuel, which means a decided saving in the cost of operation. At the same time, such economy can be realized while operating the engine at full compression, so far as the reduced number of cylinders is concerned. Also, there can be enjoyed a great economy by employing only a part of the cylinders and with the engine throttled down, while the automobile is standing idle.

Likewise, the improvement as to the temperature of the engine means a reduced consumption of oil with the saving in cost and increased efficiency incident thereto. Also, all of the operating parts are relieved of the obvious danger of over-heating; their wear is reduced and their life prolonged.

As above suggested, this invention contemplates .a single unitary engine block containing a number of cylinders, part or all of which may be employed at a given time. This same principle can be carried further by employing only a part of the cylinders at any one time, which virtually corresponds to a plurality of interchangeable com binations of cylinders all embodied in a single block. This is capable of application to the airplane industry. Thus, this invention will permit the employment of a single internal combustion engine to be employed in an airplane instead of and yet with the practical equivalent of a plurality of separate engines as are now commonly employed. The advantages of this possibility are obvious, especially with regard to lessened wind to cooling of the engine. in view of the possibility of employing a straight line unitary form of engine having the equivalent of a multiple number of separate engines.

, Regardless of what may be the correct theory accounting for the very decided improvement produced by this'invention, the fact is that there is hereby produced a smoother, more dependable, more economical and more efiicient. operation in every respect.

Other advantages in addition to those above briefly referred to, will be apparent to those who are familiar with the art to which the present invention relates.

What I claim is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a plurality of cylinders, a manifold for supplying fuel to the cylinders carburetor means for supplying fuel to the manifold, means for controlling the flow of fuel to the carburetor means, valve means in said manifold adapted for adjustment to prevent the entrance of fuel and to permit the entrance of air to some of the cylinders, and means for effecting adjustment of said valve means and simultaneously regulating the flow of fuel to the carburetor means so as to thereby vary the number of cylinders as to active or inactive condition and to control the supply of fuel accordingly. V

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a plurality of cylinders, a'divided intake manifold therefor, carburetor means for supplying fuel to the manifold, multiple means for controlling the flow of fuel to said carburetor means, a valve in one part of said manifold for controlling the fiow of fuel therethrough, interconnecting means between said valve and multiple control means, and means whereby the number of the multiple fuel-supply means to the carburetor will be varied according to the condition of the valve in the manifold for actuating the same, whereby the number of cylinders may be varied as to active or inactive condition and the supply of fuel to the multiple control means whereby the number of the CERTIFICATE or GRRECTEON.

Patent No. 1,990,808. February 12, 1935.

JettN F. WERDER.

it is hereby certified that errer appears in the printed specification ef the above numbered patent requiring correction as fellews: Page 4. seeend column, line 17,

strike out the comma anti Words and means" and insert the same after "manifold" in line 20, of said claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correctien therein that the same may ceniorm to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signet! and sealed this 9th day 05 Aprii, A. D. 1935.

Lesiie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

